Cut the Craft

Recorded September 12, 2020.  Aimee Lee weaves many aspects into being a craftsperson: she’s an artist, writer, and papermaker. In this episode, she highlights important terms like hanji (Korean paper) and jiseung (Korean paper basketry), and shares some of their history and practice. She highlights how important her relationships are to plants, land, and tradition, as well as how she synthesizes...

Recorded on September 3, 2020.  In this episode, metalsmith Seth Gould hammers out the nuances of metalworking. Seth forges and hand-files his work rather than sanding it, and is intrigued by the idea of “perceived precision.” Seth is inspired by his travels in Europe and Japan and has learned various techniques from both traditions. Be prepared to file this episode in your library of Cut the Craf...

Recorded October 10, 2020.  For Side Projects 3, Brien finally convinces Amy to share her article "A Sense of Place," which was published in Issue 8 of Mortise and Tenon Magazine.  In it, Amy discusses some of the nuances of inspiration versus appropriation, as well as the joys of exploring the resources that await right outside your door.  Amy and Brien also share some fall happenings a...

Recorded August 27, 2020.  In this episode, founder of Beam Paints Anong Beam illustrates her journey into paint making. Anong shares her childhood observation of her artistic parents, her formal art education, and how owning an art supply store guided her into becoming a paint maker. She teaches us how to start making paint, safety issues not often considered by beginners, and elaborates on her p...

Recorded August 13, 2020.  Glassblower/Painter/Crafting the Future Co-Founder Corey Pemberton walks us through the steps involved in blowing glass as he shares how he entered into the world of glassblowing and how it differs from other mediums. Corey also speaks about his interest in a diversity of crafts and how that knowledge is something he applies to his practice. His involvement in spearheadi...

Recorded July 25, 2020.  Woodworker Ouida Vincent shares her inexplicable draw toward 16th and 17th century joinery on this episode of Cut the Craft. She explains how her medical training has influenced her approach to working with her hands, and also her personal experiences with the woodworking community.  To see more of Ouida’s work check her out on instagram @ouidavincent .  Ouida’s craft crus...

Recorded May 7, 2020.  Legendary Windsor Chair maker Curtis Buchanan from Jonesborough, Tennessee spends some time with Amy and Brien explaining a wide range of fascinating topics. He gives a helpful definition of different types of chairs and he discusses the idea of flow in workmanship, as well as some of the history of green-woodworking in the United States. Curtis also shares his view of a bal...

We’re back at it! Side Projects 2 circles back around to listener responses to our question, “What do you do when you’re not feeling it?” We read each response and comment with our own extremely qualified opinions surrounding how folks answered. The episode finishes up with craft school announcements and opportunities.  Support the show

Recorded April 30 2020. During this episode of Cut the Craft, we speak with to April Stone, a Black Ash basket weaver from the Bad River band of Ojibwa in Northern Wisconsin. April guides us through the entire process of harvesting, preparing the splints and then weaving baskets. She shares what she’s learned through the process: not just how to weave, but the healing that can result through handw...

Recorded April 24, 2020. David Grimes, calligrapher and penman from Portland Oregon, explains his love of the care and intention that goes into expressing the written word through his craft. He guides us through the twists and turns of terms like; script, font, uppercase, lowercase, cursive, engrosser's script, and roundhand. He also clues us in to a secret society which only certain calligra...

Recorded April 8, 2020.  Dawson Moore is a green woodworker based in Michigan who spends his days carving kitchen utensils and a variety of other wooden items such as cups, chopsticks, and chairs. For Dawson, enjoying the process is a prerequisite to dedicating time to crafting an item. If he doesn’t like making it, he does not sell it. He shares some insights to the Swedish roots of Sloyd and she...

Erin Fletcher is a bookbinder from Boston Massachusetts. She focuses on unique bindings that incorporate fiber arts in books that have text. She splits her time between working for clients and creating unique works of art for exhibitions. She expands on traditional and experimental materials, and their efficacy. A graduate of North Bennet Street school, she is grateful to the community she gained...

Tim Manney is a chair and tool maker based in Portland, Maine. He primarily builds ladderback chairs using green woodworking principles, but also uses kiln-dried lumber in his process. Although he started his woodworking journey making chairs with influential Windsor chairmaker Curtis Buchannan in Tennessee, he’s found that he’s making more tools for Windsor chairmaking than chairs these days. Tim...

Welcome to Side Projects, a space dedicated to interesting essays and thoughts, and also a place where we share current happenings at craft schools for those looking for classes or scholarship opportunities. Our first project is dedicated to reading an excerpt from Bruce Metcalf's essay, “The Hand: at the Heart of Craft.” We reflect on the essay, but mostly just wanted to give y’all some food...

Courtney Martin is a Spruce Pine, NC-based studio potter specializing in wood fired goods. She talks about her influences of geometry and the pottery of Mata Ortiz, which based a pottery style on the archeology of Casas Grandes in Chihuahua, Mexico. She also touches on pirates and parenting while working as a full-time craftsperson. With Courtney, we get a glimpse of the sea change in wood fired c...

Beth Homa-Kraus is a Minneapolis-based birch bark weaver. Beth introduces filthy basket talk, weaver fever and some very important bark removal techniques. She touches on the usefulness of trying new crafts and how important harvesting and processing material is to the final product. Adventures with skunks, floating down the Mississippi as a basket missionary, staining baskets with wine, and her g...

During this episode we plunge into the well-tempered world of Will Manning of Heartwood Forge. Listeners learn about Will’s complex relationship with turn-buckle shoes and reclaimed steel. His kitchen knives are a mixture of various steels and even though reclaimed steel might not be totally cost effective, he likes the idea of the hunt and the folks he meets along the way. Will points us to his i...

Welcome to the first episode of Cut the Craft! The hosts, Amy Umbel and Brien Beidler, give the listeners a view into the motivation behind the podcast and an understanding of why it matters to hear the stories of craftspeople. Amy speaks about her journey into woodcarving, the importance of visibility, and how her work is changing. Brien gives listeners a glimpse into the world of bookbinding, hi...

Welcome to Cut the Craft, a podcast that brings stories of handcraft and its makers to you, through conversations between craftspeople of different backgrounds, media, and levels of experience. Hosted by Amy Umbel and Brien Beidler. Support the show